True Colors
by OnlyTheInevitable
Summary: After a misunderstanding, Mulder thinks Scully is a lesbian and has been hiding it out of fear he wouldn't accept her. He does everything in his power to make sure she knows he will always be there for her. MSR


**Hahaha, so this is a Tumblr prompt I got forever ago: "A woman's sexuality is a moving target." I'm not going to lie, I don't 100% understand what this means. I asked some mutuals on Twitter and it was either basically: women's sexuality is fluid OR women's sexuality is considered a moving target for men that take aim at it. I went with the former because I had a good idea for it and thus, this was born. Hope you all enjoy!**

All they were trying to do was make a quick pit stop at the convenient store before heading to his apartment for movie night. It was a tradition that had been going on for the past few weeks, and it was the one thing he always looked forward to. He loved being able to spend time with Scully at the office, but this was different. It felt like they were actually making progress in their relationship, breaking down that wall they had been dancing around for the past seven years. Each Friday night he felt more and more confident, that is, until now.

They'd been talking about what movie to rent from Blockbuster when a high pitched voice squealed "Dana!" from a car near them. The exclamation was accompanied by the sound of high heels hitting the pavement as a mass of blonde hair ran towards them.

Scully turned her head just in time to gasp in surprise as a taller woman threw her arms around her in a tight embrace. He watched as Scully tentatively brought her hands up to the woman's back and murmured, "Hello, Stephanie."

Mulder just took a step back and watched, trying to decipher what this woman's connection to Scully was, or is. The woman was clutching onto Scully as if she was a precious teddy bear while Scully hadn't moved a muscle. He tried to think back as much as he could, but he couldn't recall ever hearing her mention the name Stephanie to him.

As he was contemplating, the woman loosened her embrace only to bring her hands up to cup Scully's face, running the pads of her thumbs over her cheekbones. He'd never really seen Scully with any of her female friends to base this interaction off of, but he couldn't help but be surprised, and a little jealous, at how intimate it was. For as long as he'd known her, Scully had always been pretty physically reserved, but here she was completely pressed against a woman she'd never so much as mentioned.

Scully opened her mouth to say something, but before any words came out, the woman's mouth descended on her own in a kiss, and Mulder felt his jaw practically hit the floor. This wasn't a chaste kiss, not the kiss one would share between friends, not the type of kiss they had at New Years; this was a kiss of experienced intimacy. He saw Scully's body jolt in shock, but he also saw her tongue dart out as her mouth closed to kiss back while the woman's hand weaved through her hair to press her closer so that their fronts were completely flush.

While it had to be every male's overly-fetishistic dream to watch to women kiss right in front of them, he couldn't help but feel his heart drop into his stomach. Scully was kissing a woman. A woman she obviously knew and had never told him about. _Was Scully a lesbian and she never confided in him?_ No-no, she had told him about past boyfriends she'd had, hell, he'd even met some of the men she had gone out with. _Was that just a front?_ And then just a few weeks ago he'd told her that he loved her and all he got back was an 'oh brother.' He'd been confused about what she meant by that, _was she exasperated at the thought of a man being infatuated with her?_ He didn't mean that to imply she must be a lesbian to turn him down. He was just so confused. They told each other everything, why did she hide this?

Almost as quickly as the kiss had started, Scully pulled her head to the side to break it off. Her eyes opened and instantly locked with his and he immediately felt guilty for not looking away. Yet, he still couldn't stop looking at her. She was breathless from the kiss, small pants coming out between her swollen lips as Stephanie nuzzled her face into Scully's temple. Her hair was a little disheveled from the woman's hand, and a blush tainted her cheeks a bright pink after she caught sight of him. Just as he had always dreamed, a thoroughly kissed Scully was a beautiful sight. However, he could barely even enjoy it right now because, unlike in his dreams, he wasn't the cause of it.

As much as he tried to feign indifference, he was jealous and hurt.

Scully closed her lips and wiggled out of the woman's grasp, darting her hands up to smooth out the strands of hair that were out of place. "Um," she started awkwardly, "Stephanie, this is Mulder, my partner. Mulder, this is Stephanie, my former, um, classmate."

"Oh? Partner? I didn't know you swung both ways Dana," Stephanie teased, holding out her hand to him. _The feeling's mutual Stephanie._

He took the hand that was just caressing Scully and shook it with forced amiability. It didn't help that this woman was almost as attractive as Scully. She had curled blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. _Was this Scully's type? Tall, blonde, put together, female?_ "So you went to school with Scully?"

The woman released her grip and moved her hand back to Scully as if it was drawn like a magnet, letting it rest on the nape of her neck as she played with Scully's hair. Scully seemed to blush even more under the touch, she even started playing with her fingernails in front of her like a shy girl. He didn't know if the cause was Stephanie's touch or his being present for it. "Yeah, we studied a lot of Human Anatomy together," she beamed, giving Scully a playful nudge.

 _Jesus fucking Christ._

Scully jumped in before he had a chance to formulate a response, "I'm sorry, Stephanie. Mulder and I are really busy and we need to get going." As she said this, she walked over to Mulder and grabbed his arm to practically drag him along with her.

"Oops, sorry for keeping you! I'm about to go see Michelle, she's going to be so _jealous_ that I saw you. You look even more beautiful than I remember, by the way." The way Stephanie drew out the word jealous, and the way Scully blushed because of it, implied Michelle might have studied Human Anatomy with Scully too.

Scully gave her a polite smile and wave before dragging Mulder the remaining distance to their car several yards away. When they were near the car, she let go of him and re-fixed her hair, blush still prominent on her cheeks. "Sorry about that," she muttered, glancing up at him.

He stared down at her and felt his chest tighten. He loves her unconditionally, and he thought she loved him, if not romantically, at least as a close friend. He couldn't understand why she kept this from him. His glance went down to her lips where her red lipstick had been mixed with a pink shade, Stephanie still hanging on her lips.

He brought his hand up to help her clean it off, but retracted after deciding it might not be his place. He wasn't quite sure what his place was in this moment. "Um, your lipstick-lipsticks smeared," he mumbled, pointing instead.

She looked taken aback and wiped the corners of her mouth with her hand, cleaning the edges, but the mix of color still remained. "Ready to go?" she asked, walking around to the other side of the car.

His eyes probably widened in shock, but she didn't see. They weren't going to talk about it? Did she just expect him to ignore what just happened? All the implications? Instead of prodding her, he just went to the drivers side and slid in, starting the car and driving away.

The whole car ride he was thinking a mile a minute. He was worried he'd ever said anything to Scully in the past, maybe in the early years of their relationship, that had ever given her the impression he wouldn't like her is she was a lesbian. But maybe it wasn't him, maybe she confided in someone before him that had betrayed her trust or hurt her. The thought made him sick that the woman he cared for more than anything in the world had to live her life in secret. He couldn't even begin to understand fully what it was like for her. But he wanted to.

He also felt like an idiot, guilty even, for how many times he'd flirted with her and how much he made it clear to her that he wanted a romantic relationship with her. That had to have made her uncomfortable, but he wouldn't have pressed it if he'd just known. Should he have known? He was progressive enough as a man to understand people in the LGBT community didn't need to adhere to stereotypes to be gay. Just because Scully didn't come into work wearing flannel and driving a Jeep didn't mean she couldn't be gay. Just because her nails and hair are always kept short didn't mean she had to be gay either. He supposed she was really great at comforting women they encountered on cases. She was really friendly with that Dr. Sylvia a few years ago. Was he just blind to his own hopefulness? Did her mom know?

"Mulder!" her voice broke him out of his train of thought.

"Um, sorry. What?" he asked, glancing over to her.

Her lips had been wiped free of all the lipstick and they were pursed in concern. "You passed the Blockbuster."

He looked around and realized he hadn't been paying attention. Apparently just like always. He apologized and made a U-turn to head back. "Mulder, are you alright?" she asked tentatively.

He turned to look at her again and noticed she was fiddling with her hands in her lap and her brow was furrowed. When she caught his gaze she turned to look out the window ahead of them and he felt his heart drop. She was probably taking his silence as disgust or resentment. She probably feared a negative reaction if she ever told him and he was here accidentally proving her right.

He could accept that they would never be romantically involved, as much as it saddened him, but he would never accept her thinking he didn't love her unconditionally.

"Yeah, sorry Scully," he laughed in his lightest tone, getting her attention back. "I was just trying hard to think about what movie to rent."

"Oh," she said softly as he pulled in. "Um, how about you pick? I'll stay here."

"Sounds good. Is there anything you need me to pick up while I'm in there? Snacks? Soda?" he asked, being as accommodating as possible.

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment. "No, that's fine. Thank you. I'll call in our pizza order for delivery while you're in there."

He nodded and walked up to the bright blue and yellow doors, glancing behind him quickly to look at Scully once more. She was playing with the ends of her hair as she spoke into her phone and it was painfully endearing and it just made him feel worse. If she couldn't confide in him, her best friend, who did she talk to? How alone did she feel?

As he contemplated, she caught his gaze as gave him her classic skeptical stare. He quickly turned back around and walked into the store, getting a great idea at the same time. He walked over to a corner of the room where the cheesy sign read 'LGBT Cinema'. There was only a slim rack underneath the sign to choose from, but it didn't matter. He just needed to choose one. Maybe this would be a good sign he could use to show Scully he wouldn't judge her. Maybe she'd always been interested in these movies, but never picked them out because she didn't know how he'd react.

Though his plan already had a flaw in it being he had no idea what to choose. _In & Out, But I'm a Cheerleader, Paris is Burning, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything Love Julie Newmar_, he's never heard of any of these titles, let alone did he know what would be good as an 'I accept you' olive branch. His eye was caught by a cover that had Robin Williams on it. He picked it up and examined it, _The Birdcage_. It sounded like it dealt with the pressure of suppressing one's identity for other's comfort and how ridiculous that was, so he went with that.

He checked out quickly, but not before getting a judgmental sneer from the zitty-faced teen behind the counter. He hadn't even thought twice about getting this movie, and the fact that this little punk was being an ass just because he thought he was gay made him want to slug him. Yet again, he felt horrible. It was people who acted this was that prevented people like Scully from being able to comfortably come out. He snatched the bag away from the kid and left without so much as another word.

They drove to his apartment with ease and surprisingly arrived at the same time as the pizza delivery man. He paid for it as Scully unlocked the apartment and they settled into their comfortable routine. After ten minutes of setting up, they were reclined on his sofa, beers in one hand, pizza slices in the other as the movie began playing.

Twenty minutes in and Mulder was fully engaged in the movie, it was funny and really entertaining, and he felt a sense of pride build up whenever he would see Scully smile. She caught him off guard when she stated, "I didn't think this would be your genre of movie."

He noticed she'd been staring at him and he returned the gaze. "Oh, I, um. I thought you might like it," he explained lamely.

"Why?" she asked. Her tone wasn't angry, simply curious.

He felt his palms start to sweat. He wanted this opportunity, but now that it was here he was nervous he'd fuck up and say something wrong. "Y-you know," her cocked brow encouraged him to go on. "Because of, earlier."

"Because of what you saw."

She was looking at him like she was trying to decipher what was going on in his head. He felt nervous under her gaze, like he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and he felt slightly ridiculous so he decided to just get it out there."Why didn't you tell me you're gay?"

Scully's eyebrows shot up in surprise at his bluntness and she asked incredulously, "What?"

"I thought you trusted me? You know I'm not homophobic. I'll have your back no matter what. I just-you mentioned boyfriends in the past, so I'm just confused I guess. I'm not sure if you're a lesbian, are you bisexual? Or were you experimenting and found out you're a lesbian?" She hadn't said a word as he spoke, just sat there with her arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face. It made his nerves grow and he just continued to self-consciously ramble.

"Am I getting this wrong? I don't know that much about any of this, so I hope I'm not being rude. I'll love you no matter what. No, 'no matter what' makes it sound like this is something to tolerate. I love you and everything that makes you you. I know you're going to make some woman very happy someday, but I just want to be a part of your life. You're just important to me, so if this is your culture, I want to understand-"

Scully put him out of his misery by grabbing his hand and slowly stating, "Mulder, I'm not a lesbian."

"S-so, you're-?" he trailed off, wanting her to to finish the sentence.

She sighed and leaned into the couch, pivoting more towards him. She released his hand and messed with her hair a little bit.

She looked contemplative before sighing. "I never really thought to put a title on it," she shrugged. "What's the saying? 'A woman's sexuality is a moving target'?"

"What does that mean?"

She smiled at him and laughed lightly, "I don't actually know, it just sounded right."

"So, you like men and women?" he asked. A weight he hadn't even realized was almost being lifted. So he still had a chance?

She looked at him and nodded lightly, "Yeah."

"How come you never mentioned it?"

"Well, I just-some people aren't accepting, not that I thought you wouldn't be. It's just, I kind of always kept it a secret, and for the past few years I haven't really been looking for anyone. I didn't see how it really mattered," she explained.

"Oh," he offered, curious about why she wasn't looking, but didn't want to press her. "Well, you can always tell me anything. I'll always support you."

She smiled sweetly, a smile just for him that he caused and it made his breath catch in his throat. "Thank you, Mulder. That means a lot to me."

Since he felt that the awkward phase had passed, he felt that he could ask, "So was Stephanie a girlfriend of yours?"

That same blush returned to her face and she averted her gaze, "Uh, not exactly."

"I'd just been surprised that you kissed her back. I thought maybe you'd had something between you."

"I can't turn down a kiss from an attractive woman," she laughed shyly. "We fooled around a lot back in the day, if we're being honest." It took every fibre of his being to keep himself from imagining a naked Scully gyrating on top of another woman. _What role did Scully take in a same sex relationship? Did she get off on the same things he did?_ He shook the thoughts out of his head before his body could catch up to them.

"That was a passionate kiss for not having seen her in awhile," he joked. He wished he could take it back when she saw the way her eyes focused on him.

"Did that bother you?" she asked, her eyes studying his every reaction.

"No! No, I just was-surprised. That's all," he offered lamely. There was no way he could tell her he'd been heartbroken at the thought. That just made him sound like an asshole. Scully looked at him intently and he swore she was seeing something in his face that he wasn't aware of.

She shifted in her seat and he swore she was going to stand up and leave. Instead, she scooted closer to him so that she was practically on her knees next to his side. He watched her in confusion as she reached a hand up and brushed his hair behind his ear. Before he had a chance to enjoy the touch, his breath caught in his throat as she leaned in closer, her arm leaning on the couch behind his head. "You were jealous because I kissed her?" she asked in a low voice, almost disbelieving it could possible be true.

He was stunned because of her proximity, he could see every freckle on her cheek and every shade in the depths of her eyes, which were focused intently on his own. He realized she was actually asking him and he nodded as if he was possessed. "Yes," he whispered softly

She rolled her eyes and smiled shyly at him. "Sometimes when you're too busy looking in the sky for answers, you miss what's right in front of you." Before he had a chance to ask what she meant, he saw her gaze flit down to his lips as she closed the gap and put her mouth on his. The hand that was leaning on the couch wrapped around his back for balance and her other hand cupped his jaw.

He was stunned for a moment before he reacted, raising one hand to cup her cheek as the other stabled her side. _Scully was kissing him._ Her lips felt like velvet against his own and he didn't know what he possible could have done to be so lucky. He gasped in shock as she opened her mouth against his, her tongue darting out to lap at his bottom lip, asking permission to what was already hers.

He opened his mouth and audibly moaned when her tongue slid over his. He'd always imagined Scully would be an excellent kisser, but actually getting proof was driving him wild. They explored each other's mouths greedily as their breath came out in little bursts through their noses, warming their cheeks. He slid the hand cupping the side of her face down to her neck and he felt her pulse humming against his fingertips. He wasn't sure if she was nervous, excited, or both. He knew he was. His pinky raked over the skin over his collarbone ever so slightly and he felt goosebumps rise in his wake. This was Scully, living, breathing, and kissing him.

She leaned away to catch her breath and he was greeted with the same beauty he saw earlier today; Scully flushed, breathless, rosy-lipped, and drunk off a kiss. Their kiss. They just sat in each other's arms trying to catch their breath as they stared at each other. "Do you know why I haven't been looking for anyone lately?" she panted.

"Why?" he asked breathlessly.

"Because the person I want has been right by my side this whole time."

He must've looked pretty ridiculous because she burst out laughing, the world's most beautiful melody. "You mean the world to me, Scully," he whispered, causing her laughter so subside, a smile left in its place.

"You are my world, Mulder," she beamed.

He wrapped his arms around her to pull her into another kiss, one that she readily accepted. He shifted in his seat to fully face her more and ended up reclining back from her exuberance pushing him. She quickly adapted and moved so that one of her legs was in between his and she was practically laying on top of him, never disconnecting her lips from his.

Feeling Scully squirm on top of him was undoubtedly one of the most erotic experiences of his life. She was still in her blouse and pantsuit skirt she wore to work and it made this all the more surreal. His hands roamed up and down her back, feeling her warmth through the thin material of her shirt as she let her hands fall to his chest to steady herself.

He felt her hair fall down to tickle his face, but he was quickly distracted from the sensation as she sank further down his leg, causing her skirt to hitch up to her waist as she rubbed sensually against him. He could feel how hot she was through the material of his pant leg and it caused him to groan into her mouth.

She broke off the kiss and moved her head to suck on the pulse point of his neck. He was overwhelmed with sensations and he wanted to give back to her, so he bent his leg and rotated his hips a little bit to add to her friction. He was rewarded with her neck bending upwards as she whimpered next to his ear, the little sound causing a puff of warm air to hit the shell of his ear.

Encouraged by her reaction, he grabbed her hips and pulled her down so that her arousal was firm on the top of his thigh as her leg pressed into his rock hard erection. She twitched in surprise when she felt it, but immediately leaned her full weight against it, causing him to moan "Fuck, Scully," as he bucked against her.

She started to gyrate her hips on top of him, rubbing herself up and down his thigh as she thrust her leg against the tent of his pants. His hands moved to their original position on her back, but this time untucking her shirt as the went up. She got the hint and sat up so that she was looking down at him, a full flush spreading across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She raised her hands to the top button of her blouse, deftly undoing the whole line one by one. Mulder, wanting to even the playing field, did the same from his reclined position. When they were both ready to discard their shirts, he sat up so they were face-to-face, legs still intertwined as they let the garments fall from their shoulders, falling forgotten to the floor.

As soon as his arms were free, they were wrapped around her, bringing her bra-clad torso to his bare chest. He placed a chaste kiss to her lips before moving down, kissing her cheek, then her jaw, before nudging her chin upwards so he could suck on the hollow of her neck. He felt, as much as heard, the throaty moan that passed through her lips as she clung to his shoulders.

He nipped at the delicate skin of her shoulder blade before easing her down onto her back, reversing their positions from before. He reached behind her and grabbed at her bra clasp, fumbling for a second before it came apart in his hands. She arched her back so he could slide it down her arms and he all but threw it away from them as her rosy nipples were revealed to him.

The flush from before had spread down to her chest and he looked up to see her earnestly staring at him with her bottom lip between her teeth. She looked painfully coy and shy. He lifted his hands to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" She let out a little laugh as a smile tugged on her lips.

He leaned down to kiss her again, only coming up to whisper "I mean it." He kissed down her body until he came to a rosy bud. He lapped at it lightly, earning a gasp from Scully, before taking it in his mouth fully. Her body arched off the couch as she hummed in contentment. Eager to elicit more reactions like that, he raised his other hand to cup the mound of flesh in his palm, kneading it firmly to Scully's pleasure.

He traded back and forth between her breast, tweaking, pinching, sucking, biting, learning the ways of her body through her reactions. While he was doing this, she eased her leg from in between his, making sure to drag it sensually along his erection, before wrapping them around his waist. He could feel her warmth radiating beneath him, and he released his mouth from its newfound home. He was greeted with the sight of Scully with her eyes closed in pure rapture, her chest glistening with his saliva.

He wanted to see her reaction, so he let his weight fall on top of her, allowing his erection to grind against her center. Her eyes shot open as she gasped, her head falling back as she involuntarily bucked against him. His breath shuddered in response and he ground into her, pressing himself hard against her as she panted beneath him.

"Oh Mulder," she gasped, grabbing at his biceps. Her eyes found his and he was struck by the dilated look of pure lust she was giving him. "I don't want to wait anymore," she emphasized her point by rubbing herself tantalizingly against his cock, making his eyes flutter shut in arousal.

"A-are you sure? I want to make sure you're comfortable with this." He wanted this more than anything in the entire world, but he didn't want her to feel pressured.

She grabbed his hand, wordlessly, and shoved it between her legs, letting his knuckles drag up the skin of her inner thigh until she got to her apex. She pushed aside her underwear with one of her fingers and brought his hand up the final few inches.

She was completely and utterly, drippingly soaking wet. Arousal coated his fingers instantly and she arched up to kiss his temple before whispering in his ear. "You caused that, Mulder. You did that to me." Her tongue darted out and she captured his earlobe into her mouth, sucking and nibbling on it gently. He raked his fingers up and down her folds tentatively, mesmerized by the evidence of her desire.

When one of his knuckles grazed her clit, her mouth dropped open and she cried out against his ear. "I promise, I'm more than comfortable. I want you, Mulder. I've wanted you for as long as I can remember."

He kissed her again before easing up. She looked like she was about to complain before she saw he was unbuckling his belt to take off his pants. She quickly joined him, raising her hips up so she could slide down the zipper before shimmying out of her skirt and underwear. He did the same and his cock bobbed free in the air as she lay naked in front of him on his couch. She looked at him hungrily as she spread her legs wantonly in invitation.

A chill of arousal ran down his spine and he felt like every cell in his body was alive. He kneeled in between her legs and grabbed himself firmly with one of his hands, dragging his tip up and down the length of her slit. She moaned behind closed lips as her ankles rested against his hips, trying to bring him closer. "Let me see you," he whispered as he stroked himself once, coating himself with her arousal.

She lazily looked into his eyes and the intensity shot through him like electricity. He nudged himself in between her lips and slid into her slowly, inch by inch. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes clouded with uninhibited lust. Once he was fully in, he rotated his hips and watched in rapture as she grabbed at him, desperate for more friction. He slid out before plunging back in, overwhelmed by her tight heat. She bit her lip as she thrust against him, clawing at his back.

Encouraged by her movements, he started up a steady rhythm, pounding in and out of her with so much intensity that her breast bounced tantalizingly on her chest. "Fuck! Mulder-" she cried out, blindly reaching out to clutch at the couch beside his head. She slid her legs farther around his waist to keep him as close as possible.

He'd been fantasizing about this moment for years. Scully writhing beneath him in the throes of passion, crying out his name. He could smell a mixture of her natural scent mixed with her arousal and it drove him crazy. It just made it real that this was actually happening.

This was already the best experience of his life and he just wanted her to feel the same. He licked the pad of his fingers and slid his hand in between them until he was cupping her sex. He curled his fingers to circle her clit and he was rewarded with her bucking into his hand and crying ut his name. He continued this dance of thrusting into her and swirling his fingers around her rosy knub until her back arched off the couch entirely and she was clutching onto him. " _PleasepleasepleaseohmygodMulderyoufeelsogood_." Her cries of pleasure almost pushed him over the edge, but he wanted this to last a little longer, so he slowed down his pace.

After her quivering subsided, she turned her head to command in his ear. "Sit on the couch." He followed her instructions, taking her with him so that she was sitting in his lap, and it was like they hadn't even paused. She placed a hand on either shoulder for support as she used her knees to lift herself up and down his length, effectively riding him.

His head fell to the back of the couch as he reveled in the sensations. She surprised him by sinking all the way down and undulating her hips on his. He felt his balls starting to tighten and he wanted to get her off one more time before he came. A growl ripped from his throat as his hands clenched around her hips, helping her raise up and down on his length as he animalistically thrust into her.

She met him thrust for thrust until her entire body stilled and she was quaking above him. The sensations mixed with the visual image of her pleasure caused the coil in his abdomen to release as he came hot and deep inside her. He thrust a few more times, dragging out both his orgasm and hers while they gasped for air.

When they were done she fell against him languidly and tried to catch her breath, her sweaty forehead resting against the crook of his neck as he raked his fingers up and down her back. His heart felt impossibly full in this moment.

They stayed like that for a while until she nuzzled against him slightly and sat up on his lap, his spent erection still inside her. "So," she panted, "I hope that reassured you that you never need to feel jealous again." He smiled at her and she kissed him for emphasis.

If that hadn't, round two an hour later sure did. Round three really took away any lingering fears.

Scully loved him.


End file.
